Clinical engineering He explained that passive tracking involves
smart IoT using a smart printer. There is no extra work for clinical staff, it uses low-cost wristbands with RFID tags and is already being used to identify patients. It also has a lower software cost. Passive RFiD is typically used for asset management, within hospitals, but it can also have a big impact on patient flow, he asserted: “It is a quick and efficient system, but it cannot be used for patient wandering or baby tracking – the technology is not sufficient for that. But there are key benefits around time. A typical nurse spends 40% of their time on patient care and 60% on other things. If we can re-address that balance, by using smart technology, we can improve the running of the hospital and improve patient care.” Key benefits of patient tracking with RFiD
include: l Efficiency: less time wasted on manual tasks
l Patient experience: reduces uncertainty and anxiety
l Data insight: detailed flow data for planning
l Safety: patients are always accounted for l Streamlined discharge: beds turned around faster
RFID-enabled wristbands are issued at admission and fixed readers or smart drop readers are installed at key locations. Real- time updates are provided to dashboards and display screens, and the information includes current location, status, and expected wait times.
Applications throughout the hospital
include: l Emergency: Manage patient surges l Surgery: Track pre- and post-op movement
l Inpatient wards: Locate patients efficiently l Outpatient departments: Streamline service delivery
l Discharge processes: Automate bed cleaning alerts
He gave a case example of a hospital in Britanny that needed to tackle key issues in its nuclear medicine outpatient department – there was a lack of real-time visibility on the stage each patient was at, and a lack of expected waiting time information for patients. A lot of time was spent informing patients, while ambulance staff often waited longer than necessary to drop or collect patients. RFID wristbands enabled the department to track patient journeys, and the solution enabled public displays with
Looking for an alternative to chlorine tablets in your Trust?
Fuse is your answer. 7 MIN 5
SPORICIDAL IN
5 MINS
EFFECTIVE AGAINST BIOFILMS
5L PASSED
COMPLIANT TO
EN 17846
QUICK AND
MIN 5 MIN 5 UNIFORM AND SHORT EASY-TO-USE CONTACT TIME TM
anonymised updates, automated SMS alerts for patient pick-up, valuable data to improve service delivery, and the identification of bottlenecks. This resulted in improved efficiency, better patient care and safety. He presented another case study of a major NHS hospital that experienced key issues
with bed management. The hospital was experiencing delays in flagging bed readiness, and it was typically taking nurses 20 minutes to 4 hours to update the bed management system to notify cleaning team after a patient had been discharged. Hundreds of staff hours were spent ringing round to locate a free bed and there were unnecessary delays in bed turnaround. There was little or no infection control audit trail. RFiD has now solved this problem: it has speeded up the discharge process and bed turnaround. There is now visibility of beds becoming available, and there is no more need for numerous phone calls. Upon discharge, the RFID-enabled patient wristband is now simply placed in a ‘smart bin’. Fitted with internal RFID readers, this updates the bed management system in seconds. He concluded that patient
Scan to request your free evaluation
Copyright © Tristel Solutions Limited - Mkt-Adv-3279 - 09/SEP/2025 - V1
November 2025 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 27
karegg -
stock.adobe.com
t
E
4
N
1
8
6
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64
